Disney, mixed fandoms, and Farmers… and bittersweetness

I’ve taken my first vacation as a career woman, and it was at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Appropriately enough, some of my earliest memories are from that same place in November 1995. Of course I was happy that my parents planned this out. You might have seen some of my photos on Instagram detailing my favorite parts of this trip (my 5th time there), in which I tried to cover some parts of the park that people don’t notice as much, like the street musicians. They add so much to the experience! And we watched parades, the nighttime shows Fantasmic and World of Color, and went on as many rides as we could. We missed Haunted Mansion, but I wasn’t as anxious to go on that one as others. The best way I can describe the trip as a whole was as a giant musical. I almost cried because the combination of the parades, the shows, and the way everything went together was so much to take in. I don’t remember ever feeling like that at any of my other visits, maybe because I was younger and didn’t have as much life experience. I can’t even think of the right words. It was like those mountaintop experiences I had many times at Luther. Part of growing up for me is that my emotions have gotten more intense. But that’s probably a good thing. In any case, the trip was awesome, despite the crowds and heat (and bad-tasting water), and I look forward to bringing my own children there someday.

Another big thing I enjoyed (it gets its own paragraph) was getting to see Star Wars and Marvel characters. Disney bought Lucasfilm somewhat recently and has owned Marvel for awhile, and these are two of the “fandoms” (Tumblr term) that I’ve been most part of. I bought myself a pair of mouse ears with R2-D2 on them and kept wishing I’d run into a Stormtrooper so I could take a picture with him/her. The Star Tours ride, which has been there for a long time, incorporated Star Wars storylines, including a cameo from Princess Leia – she says that the people on the ride are her only hope. I geeked out over that just a little. And the Marvel attractions are housed in the Innoventions section of Tomorrowland, where you can simulate your own Iron Man suit and meet Thor and Captain America. I did the third thing and nearly fainted of happiness. He’s my favorite Avenger, although you can blame Chris Evans a bit for that one. 😉 Those two things alone made the trip for me. My friends in Decorah got me hooked… now that I can geek out over both superheroes and princesses at the happiest place on Earth, there’s no question I’ll be back.

For now, it’s back to Farmers Life. I learned recently that I’ll be staying with the company through November, so I have more time to learn and figure out what I’m doing with my life. There are still many options open. And I have enough going on outside of work that I’m not exhausted. Several people are taking PTO right now so it’s going to be quiet in the office for awhile. And it wasn’t too hard to get caught up after being gone for a few days.

Next week, classes at Luther start up again, and I won’t be there… I can’t lie, I’m not excited to hear how happy the younger folks are to be back there when I don’t know when the next time I visit Decorah will be. And sometimes I get a little down when I hear from other postgrads about the incredible adventures they’re on. But I remember that there are many ways to live a good life and make a difference. I know that my Luther education has already changed me. A little distance won’t erase any of my friendships or experiences. All the same, I’ll be saving up money for my next trip real soon. 🙂